Timeline of the 2001 anthrax attacks
Encyclopedia
A timeline puts events in their proper sequence and is essential for the understanding of the anthrax attacks of 2001. The anthrax letter attacks occurred in September and October 2001, but the alleged culprit wasn't identified by the FBI and the Department of Justice until August 2008, nearly seven years later. The FBI's investigation of the alleged mailer of the lethal letters was performed out of public view, and, as a result it appeared to some that the FBI only identified Dr. Bruce Edwards Ivins as the culprit after Ivins committed suicide on July 27, 2008. The timeline shows that Ivins was mentioned in FBI reports as an "extremely sensitive suspect" on April 11, 2007. Other events in 2001 and 2002 show that Dr. Ivins was allegedly attempting to mislead the investigation by submitting unusable or false samples from the flask that was later determined to be the "murder weapon." The timeline also shows that the Ames strain used in the attacks was originally thought to be a common strain from Iowa, and it wasn't until months later that it was learned it was a rare strain from Texas - a key fact which became critical to the investigation.
The timeline also shows the sequence of events which led to Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill being identified by Attorney General John Ashcroft as a "person of interest" in August 2002. Many or most news reports after that time appear to ignore what the timeline shows: Starting within weeks after the discovery of the anthrax letters, a group of scientists playing amateur detectives, later joined by the media and some politicians, tried for eight months to get Dr. Hatfill publicly investigated by the FBI, claiming the FBI was "covering up" for the suspect who they didn't publicly name but identified by description, while the FBI kept repeating over and over that they had no firm suspects and that the theories of the amateur detectives and the media reporters were incorrect.
The timeline also shows that the way the events unfolded in the media have little to do with the actual sequence of events. The first case reported in the media was Bob Stevens in Florida, causing many people to assume that the culprit was in Florida at the time. But, later it was realized that the first cases actually occurred in New York City. They were just initially incorrectly diagnosed. Due to the timing of her case, Kathy Nguyen's inhalation infection was thought by many to be the result of cross-contamination from the second mailing in October 2001. But looking at the timeline one can see that her case is more likely related to the cluster of cutaneous cases and accidental exposures in New York City that occurred around the time Nguyen was infected and in the same general area of New York City where she was infected - all of which are known to be related to the first mailing, which occurred in September.
The timeline also shows the sequence of events which led to Dr. Steven Jay Hatfill being identified by Attorney General John Ashcroft as a "person of interest" in August 2002. Many or most news reports after that time appear to ignore what the timeline shows: Starting within weeks after the discovery of the anthrax letters, a group of scientists playing amateur detectives, later joined by the media and some politicians, tried for eight months to get Dr. Hatfill publicly investigated by the FBI, claiming the FBI was "covering up" for the suspect who they didn't publicly name but identified by description, while the FBI kept repeating over and over that they had no firm suspects and that the theories of the amateur detectives and the media reporters were incorrect.
The timeline also shows that the way the events unfolded in the media have little to do with the actual sequence of events. The first case reported in the media was Bob Stevens in Florida, causing many people to assume that the culprit was in Florida at the time. But, later it was realized that the first cases actually occurred in New York City. They were just initially incorrectly diagnosed. Due to the timing of her case, Kathy Nguyen's inhalation infection was thought by many to be the result of cross-contamination from the second mailing in October 2001. But looking at the timeline one can see that her case is more likely related to the cluster of cutaneous cases and accidental exposures in New York City that occurred around the time Nguyen was infected and in the same general area of New York City where she was infected - all of which are known to be related to the first mailing, which occurred in September.
Pre-2001: Related events
- 1972: The Frederick Cancer Research and Development Center begins operating under the auspices of the National Cancer InstituteNational Cancer InstituteThe National Cancer Institute is part of the National Institutes of Health , which is one of 11 agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NCI coordinates the U.S...
at Fort DetrickFort DetrickFort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center for the United States' biological weapons program ....
, Frederick, MarylandFrederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute building would additionally research other deadly diseases such AIDS, anthrax and other ailments that could afflict U.S troops either through chemical or biological weapons.
- April 7, 1997: It is announced that Fort Detrick is one of the candidates for the site of a "multimillion-dollar vaccine storage and production center" that would protect U.S. troops against biological agents, including vaccines against bubonic plague, ebola and anthrax. The project would be a 10-year contract estimated at $500 to $700 million, and would include construction of a 35000 square feet (3,251.6 m²) building for about $10 million.
- April 12, 1997: Dr. Bruce E. Ivins writes in "The News Post" of Frederick, Maryland, that "I personally welcome the proposed vaccine facility" at Fort Detrick. "What is being proposed is a vaccine production facility, not a lethal biological agent production facility. The only way I can think of being seriously injured by anthrax or plague vaccine is to get plunked on the head by a vial of the stuff," he wrote. He described himself as "a reasonably scientifically literate private citizen living right across the street from Fort Detrick."
- November 7, 1997: The Army awards a $322 million contract to DynPort Vaccine Company, LLC, a joint venture formed specifically between Reston-based DynCorp and British-based Porton International, to develop and store a warehouse of vaccines to protect soldiers from biological warfare. About 45 percent of the 10-year contract is to be conducted at Fort Detrick in Frederick, Maryland.
- "[David Lee] Wilson was head of the [FBI's] HMRU [Hazardous Materials Response Unit] between 1997 and 2000, and during those years the number of credible bioterror threats or incidents rose dramatically, up to roughly 200 per year, or one biological threat every couple of days. Most of them were anthrax hoaxes."
2001: The attacks
- Early September: "Some White House personnel" are given ciprofloxacinCiprofloxacinCiprofloxacin is a synthetic chemotherapeutic antibiotic of the fluoroquinolone drug class.It is a second-generation fluoroquinolone antibacterial. It kills bacteria by interfering with the enzymes that cause DNA to rewind after being copied, which stops synthesis of DNA and of...
, the antibiotic of choice for anthrax, for undisclosed reasons.
- September 11: Staff accompanying Vice President Cheney to Camp DavidCamp DavidCamp David is the country retreat of the President of the United States and his guests. It is located in low wooded hills about 60 mi north-northwest of Washington, D.C., on the property of Catoctin Mountain Park in unincorporated Frederick County, Maryland, near Thurmont, at an elevation of...
following the World Trade Center attacksSeptember 11, 2001 attacksThe September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
are dispensed ciprofloxacin by the White House Medical UnitWhite House Medical UnitThe White House Medical Unit is the unit of the White House Military Office responsible for the medical needs of White House staff and visitors. The Unit provides medical care to the President, the Vice President, and their families....
as "a precaution."
- "Soon after September 11", Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen is advised "in a roundabout way from a high government official" to acquire ciprofloxacin.
- September 17 or September 18: Attack #1 — Five anthrax letters are believed to have been mailed around this time (Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New JerseyTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
postmarkPostmarkthumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
dated September 18), targeting news media: ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
, CBS NewsCBS NewsCBS News is the news division of American television and radio network CBS. The current chairman is Jeff Fager who is also the executive producer of 60 Minutes, while the current president of CBS News is David Rhodes. CBS News' flagship program is the CBS Evening News, hosted by the network's main...
, NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
and the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
, all in New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
; and the National Enquirer at American Media, Inc. in Boca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton, FloridaBoca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
, which publishes supermarket tabloids. (Only the New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
and NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
letters were actually found; the existence of the other three letters is inferred from the pattern of infection).
- September 19: A letter addressed to Jennifer Lopez containing a Star of David and a bluish powder arrived in the Sun's mailroom in the American Media headquarters. Several people handled the letter, and Stevens sniffed some of the powder.
- September 22–October 1: Nine people contract anthrax, but are not correctly diagnosed.
- September 24: Time Magazine asks, "Bioterrorism: The Next Threat?" NBC News reports, "At a time when the unthinkable became reality, the U.S. government is examining the possibility that an attack of an ever greater scale might be launched against America - possibly using biological or chemical weapons. U.S. officials insist no evidence exists to suggest that such an attack is inevitable. However, for years a handful of intelligence officials and military and civil defense experts have been warning that America is titanically unprepared for even relatively unsophisticated attacks involving biological agents."
- September 30: Robert StevensRobert Stevens (photo editor)Robert Stevens was a photo editor for the Florida based tabloid, Sun, employed by American Media Inc. He was the first fatality linked to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. He died of pulmonary anthrax after inhaling anthrax spores from a letter that is believed to have arrived at...
, 63, photo editor at the supermarket tabloid The Sun, began feeling ill on the last day of a five-day vacation at his daughter's home in North Carolina
- October 1: American Media mail clerk Ernesto Blanco is hospitalized and diagnosed with pneumoniaPneumoniaPneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
(in fact, he has inhaled anthraxAnthraxAnthrax is an acute disease caused by the bacterium Bacillus anthracis. Most forms of the disease are lethal, and it affects both humans and other animals...
).
- October 2: Early in the morning, Robert Stevens is admitted to the JFK Medical CenterJFK Medical Center (Atlantis, Florida)The JFK Medical Center is a 460 bed facility located in Atlantis, Florida. It has over 500 physicians, 2200 healthcare professionals and 300 volunteers. It specializes in cardiovascular care.- History :...
emergency room in Atlantis, FloridaAtlantis, FloridaAtlantis is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,005 at the 2000 census. According to the U.S Census estimates of 2005, the city had a population of 2,142.-Geography:Atlantis is located at ....
presenting disorientation, a high fever, vomiting and inability to speak. Later that morning a spinal tap is conducted, and based upon the box-shaped bacillus present in Mr. Stevens's spinal fluid, Dr. Larry Bush, chief of infectious diseases and his attending physician, makes an initial diagnosis of anthrax. Larry Bush contacts Dr. Jean Malecki, Director of the Palm Beach County Health Department. Over the next two days, multiple tests are conducted by labs at the local hospital, the state, and the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, all confirming Stevens is dying from anthrax.
- October 2: EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
ian-born Environmental Protection AgencyUnited States Environmental Protection AgencyThe U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is an agency of the federal government of the United States charged with protecting human health and the environment, by writing and enforcing regulations based on laws passed by Congress...
scientist and former Ft. Detrick biowarfare researcher Ayaad Assaad is requested to appear before the FBI to discuss an anonymous letter from someone claiming to be a former coworker, accusing him of being "a potential biological terrorist" with "a vendetta against the U.S. government, and that if anything happens to him, he told his sons to carry on." The letter describes Assaad's personal and professional background in detail. After meeting the next day, the FBI dismisses all allegations.
- October 4: Robert StevensRobert Stevens (photo editor)Robert Stevens was a photo editor for the Florida based tabloid, Sun, employed by American Media Inc. He was the first fatality linked to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. He died of pulmonary anthrax after inhaling anthrax spores from a letter that is believed to have arrived at...
is publicly confirmed to have inhalational anthrax. It is the first known case of inhalational anthrax in the U.S. since 1976. United States Department of Health and Human ServicesUnited States Department of Health and Human ServicesThe United States Department of Health and Human Services is a Cabinet department of the United States government with the goal of protecting the health of all Americans and providing essential human services. Its motto is "Improving the health, safety, and well-being of America"...
Secretary Tommy ThompsonTommy ThompsonThomas George "Tommy" Thompson , a United States Republican politician, was the 42nd Governor of Wisconsin, after which he served as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services. Thompson was a candidate for the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election, but dropped out early after a poor performance in polls...
downplays terrorism as a possible cause, suggesting Stevens may have contracted anthrax by drinking water from a stream. Officials emphasize that since anthrax is not contagious, there is no reason for public concern.
- October 5: Robert StevensRobert Stevens (photo editor)Robert Stevens was a photo editor for the Florida based tabloid, Sun, employed by American Media Inc. He was the first fatality linked to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. He died of pulmonary anthrax after inhaling anthrax spores from a letter that is believed to have arrived at...
, 63, dies, the first fatality in the anthrax attacks. Paul Keim of Northern Arizona University determines that the strain of anthrax that killed Bob Stevens was the Ames strain.
- October 6–October 9: Attack #2 — Some time within this range, two more anthrax letters are mailed (Trenton, New JerseyTrenton, New JerseyTrenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
postmarkPostmarkthumb|USS TexasA postmark is a postal marking made on a letter, package, postcard or the like indicating the date and time that the item was delivered into the care of the postal service...
dated October 9), targeting Senators Daschle and Leahy. (Monday, October 8, was Columbus DayColumbus DayMany countries in the New World and elsewhere celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492, as an official holiday...
, hence no mail pickup).
- October 7: Anthrax spores are found on Robert StevensRobert Stevens (photo editor)Robert Stevens was a photo editor for the Florida based tabloid, Sun, employed by American Media Inc. He was the first fatality linked to the 2001 anthrax attacks in the United States. He died of pulmonary anthrax after inhaling anthrax spores from a letter that is believed to have arrived at...
's computer keyboard. Dr. Malecki of the Palm Beach County Health Department orders the American Media building to be closed and quarantined. Workers are tested for exposure.
- October 9: The media descends upon Iowa State University where it is falsely believed that the Ames strain was first isolated. A scientific article from 1986 provides the only source of information about the origin of the Ames strain: "Ames ..... Cow; Iowa, 1980." But no one in Iowa knows anything about any "Ames strain," and no cows died of anthrax in Iowa in 1980.
- October 10: Officials announced that a third American Media employee tested positive for exposure to anthrax.
- October 12: The (already opened) anthrax letter to NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
is found and turned over to the FBI. Only a trace amount of anthrax remains in the letter.
- October 12: Dr. Bruce Ivins describes his understanding of the source of the Ames strain in an email: "I can tell you to whom I have sent this so-called 'Ames' strain. Please keep in mind that a) it is apparently 50 years old; b) that USAMRIID received this strain 20 years ago; c) that it is a USDA strain, not a USAMRIID strain, U.S. Army strain, or Department of Defense strain; d) the individuals primarily responsible for determining the location of the strain are located in Ames, Iowa, not in Frederick, Maryland" [Ivins emails, batch-55, page 6
- October 12: As a precaution, after checking with the FBI, Iowa State UniversityIowa State UniversityIowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
destroys its collection of anthrax strainsStrain (biology)In biology, a strain is a low-level taxonomic rank used in three related ways.-Microbiology and virology:A strain is a genetic variant or subtype of a micro-organism . For example, a "flu strain" is a certain biological form of the influenza or "flu" virus...
, which "may have contained geneticGeneticsGenetics , a discipline of biology, is the science of genes, heredity, and variation in living organisms....
clues valuable to the criminal inquiry."
- October 13: The NBC NewsNBC NewsNBC News is the news division of American television network NBC. It first started broadcasting in February 21, 1940. NBC Nightly News has aired from Studio 3B, located on floors 3 of the NBC Studios is the headquarters of the GE Building forms the centerpiece of 30th Rockefeller Center it is...
letter tests positive for anthrax.
- October 14: The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
reports that "American investigators probing anthrax outbreaks in Florida and New York believe they have all the hallmarks of a terrorist attack - and have named Iraq as prime suspect as the source of the deadly spores. Their inquiries are adding to what US hawks say is a growing mass of evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved, possibly indirectly, with the September 11 hijackers. If investigators' fears are confirmed - and sceptics fear American hawks could be publicising the claim to press their case for strikes against Iraq - the pressure now building among senior Pentagon and White House officials in Washington for an attack may become irresistible."
- October 15: In a "featured article", the Wall Street Journal states of the anthrax mailings, "Several circumstantial links to Osama bin Laden and his al Qaeda network are already known" and that "Bin Laden couldn't be doing all this in Afghan caves. The leading supplier suspect has to be Iraq."
- October 15: The letter to Senator Daschle is opened. The anthrax in the letter was described as a "fine, light tan powder" which easily flew into the air.
- October 15: Ernesto Blanco was diagnosed with pulmonary anthrax, and moved to the intensive care unit. The Florida Department of HealthFlorida Department of HealthThe Florida Department of Health is responsible for protecting the public health and safety of the residents and visitors of the State of Florida. It is a cabinet level agency of the state government, headed by a State surgeon general who reports to the Governor...
announced that a minuscule amount of spores were found in the Boca Raton post office. They were found in a small mail sorting area where mail for American Media is handled, specifically in the throwback slot of the letter case for the American Media route. The room was sealed and cleaned.
- October 17: 31 Capitol workers (five Capitol police officers, 3 Russ FeingoldRuss FeingoldRussell Dana "Russ" Feingold is an American politician from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served as a Democratic party member of the U.S. Senate from 1993 to 2011. From 1983 to 1993, Feingold was a Wisconsin State Senator representing the 27th District.He is a recipient of the John F...
staffers, 23 Tom DaschleTom DaschleThomas Andrew "Tom" Daschle is a former U.S. Senator from South Dakota and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
staffers), test positive for the presence of anthrax (presumably via nasal swabs, etc.). Feingold's office is behind Daschle's in the Hart Senate Building. Anthrax spores are found in a Senate mailroom located in an office building near the Capitol. There are rumors that anthrax was found in the ventilation system of the Capitol buildingUnited States CapitolThe United States Capitol is the meeting place of the United States Congress, the legislature of the federal government of the United States. Located in Washington, D.C., it sits atop Capitol Hill at the eastern end of the National Mall...
itself. The House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
announces it will adjourn in response to the threat.
- October 18: Senator John McCainJohn McCainJohn Sidney McCain III is the senior United States Senator from Arizona. He was the Republican nominee for president in the 2008 United States election....
states, on the David Letterman Show, that "There is some indication, and I don't have the conclusions, but some of this anthrax may -- and I emphasize may -- have come from Iraq."
- October 18: A White House alarm system detected dangerous levels of radioactive, chemical or biological agents, indicating exposure to Vice President Dick Cheney and others in the White House situation roomWhite House Situation RoomThe White House Situation Room is a conference room and intelligence management center in the basement of the West Wing of the White House. It is run by the National Security Council staff for the use of the President of the United States and his advisors to monitor and deal...
. The alarm was the result of a malfunction; nevertheless the Vice President begins taking precautions against this type of attack.
- October 19: The unopened New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
anthrax letter is found.
- October 19: Tom RidgeTom RidgeThomas Joseph "Tom" Ridge is an American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives , the 43rd Governor of Pennsylvania , Assistant to the President for Homeland Security , and the first United States Secretary of Homeland Security...
, Director of Homeland SecurityHomeland securityHomeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
, briefs the media on "potential anthrax threats." Ridge reports the tests conducted on the anthrax found as spores at the AMI building in Florida, the material from the NBC News letter and the anthrax from the Daschle letter are all "indistinguishable," meaning they are from the same strain. Also Governor Ridge reveals the FBI has found the site (mailbox) where the letters were first placed. (This initial report may have been in error.)
- October 21, 2001: Senator Joe LiebermanJoe LiebermanJoseph Isadore "Joe" Lieberman is the senior United States Senator from Connecticut. A former member of the Democratic Party, he was the party's nominee for Vice President in the 2000 election. Currently an independent, he remains closely affiliated with the party.Born in Stamford, Connecticut,...
, on Meet the PressMeet the PressMeet the Press is a weekly American television news/interview program produced by NBC. It is the longest-running television series in American broadcasting history, despite bearing little resemblance to the original format of the program seen in its television debut on November 6, 1947. It has been...
, states "The stuff that is being sent out, most of it, including the stuff that went to Tom Daschle's office, is significantly refined anthrax... So it says to me that there's either a significant amount of money behind this, or this is state-sponsored, or this is stuff that was stolen from the former Soviet program."
- October 21: BrentwoodBrentwood, Washington, D.C.Brentwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. and is named after the Brentwood Mansion built at Florida Avenue and 6th Street NE in 1817 by Robert Brent, the first mayor of Washington City. He built it as a wedding present for his daughter Eleanor on her marriage as second wife to...
(in Northeast Washington D.C.) postal employee Thomas L. Morris Jr., 55, dies.
- October 22: BrentwoodBrentwood, Washington, D.C.Brentwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. and is named after the Brentwood Mansion built at Florida Avenue and 6th Street NE in 1817 by Robert Brent, the first mayor of Washington City. He built it as a wedding present for his daughter Eleanor on her marriage as second wife to...
(in Northeast Washington D.C.) postal employee Joseph P. Curseen, 47, dies.
- October 22: Ridge reports at a White House press conference on the two new deaths of postal workers possibly from anthrax exposure.
- October 23: It is confirmed that the two postal handlers died of inhalational anthrax.
- October 25: David Hose, who works at the State Department mail annex in Sterling, Virginia, is hospitalized with inhalational anthrax. The source is the Leahy anthrax letter (yet undiscovered), which was routed to the State Department mail facility in error.
- October 25: Ridge gives an update on the scientific analysis of the anthrax samples. The anthrax from the Daschle letter is described as "highly concentrated" and "pure." The material is also a "very, very fine powder" similar to talcum powder. The spore clusters are smaller when compared to the anthrax found in the New York Post sample. The opinion is the anthrax from the Daschle sample is deadlier. The New York Post sample is coarser and less concentrated than the Daschle anthrax. It is described as "clumpy and rugged" while the Daschle anthrax is "fine and floaty." Although they differ radically, Ridge emphasizes both anthrax samples are from the same Ames strainAmes strainThe Ames strain is one of 89 known strains of the anthrax bacterium . It was isolated from a diseased 14-month old Beefmaster heifer that died in Sarita, Texas in 1981. The strain was isolated at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and a sample was sent to the United States Army...
.
- October 26 - October 29: ABC NewsABC NewsABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
reports several times that several high-placed sources at Fort Detrick and elsewhere have told them that the anthrax samples contained bentonite, thereby implicating Saddam HusseinSaddam HusseinSaddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's biological warfare program, and explicitly contradicting official White House reports.
- October 26: The Washington Post mistakenly reports that the Ames "strain was first isolated in Ames, Iowa, and sent in 1980 to Army researchers, who have since distributed it to various academic laboratories. The strain has spread by other routes to countless research labs around the world, making its identification relatively useless as a tool for tracking the perpetrators."
- October 29: Kathy Nguyen, a New York City hospital worker, is hospitalized with inhalational anthrax. The source of the anthrax is unknown.
- October 29: Major General John Parker at a White House briefing says silica was found in the Daschle anthrax sample. Also General Parker emphases the anthrax spore concentration in the Daschle letter was 10 times that of the New York Post letter.
- October 31: Kathy Nguyen, 61, dies.
- October 31: Major General John S. Parker testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on International Security, Proliferation and Federal Service concerning the anthrax found in the Daschle letter.
- November 7: President Bush describes the attacks as "a second wave of terrorist attacks upon our country."
- November 7: Ridge in a press briefing dismisses bentoniteBentoniteBentonite is an absorbent aluminium phyllosilicate, essentially impure clay consisting mostly of montmorillonite. There are different types of bentonite, each named after the respective dominant element, such as potassium , sodium , calcium , and aluminum . Experts debate a number of nomenclatorial...
as a binding agent for the anthrax in the Daschle letter. He says the ingredient is siliconSiliconSilicon is a chemical element with the symbol Si and atomic number 14. A tetravalent metalloid, it is less reactive than its chemical analog carbon, the nonmetal directly above it in the periodic table, but more reactive than germanium, the metalloid directly below it in the table...
[sic].
- November 16: The Leahy anthrax letter is found in the impounded mail at the State Department mail facility in Sterling, Virginia.
- November 20: Ottilie Lundgren, of ConnecticutConnecticutConnecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, is diagnosed with inhalational anthrax. The source was most likely contaminated mail, although no anthrax was detected in her home.
- November 21: Ottilie Lundgren, 94, dies, the fifth and final person to die as a result of the mailings. This sparked major fear in the small affluent community of Oxford, ConnecticutOxford, ConnecticutOxford is a town located in western New Haven County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 12,272 at the 2010 Census. There are several areas in Oxford: Quaker Farms, Riverside and Oxford Center. Oxford belongs to the Naugatuck Valley Economic Development Region and the Central...
.
- December 5: The Leahy letter is opened at the American bio-facility USAMRIID, Fort DetrickFort DetrickFort Detrick is a U.S. Army Medical Command installation located in Frederick, Maryland, USA. Historically, Fort Detrick was the center for the United States' biological weapons program ....
, MarylandMarylandMaryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
- December 5: The United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
committee chairman Henry HydeHenry HydeHenry John Hyde , an American politician, was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 to 2007, representing the 6th District of Illinois, an area of Chicago's northwestern suburbs which included O'Hare International Airport...
holds a hearing on the anthrax attacks and biological weapons.
- December 16: DNADNADeoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
testing of the anthrax in the Leahy letter matches the Ames strainAmes strainThe Ames strain is one of 89 known strains of the anthrax bacterium . It was isolated from a diseased 14-month old Beefmaster heifer that died in Sarita, Texas in 1981. The strain was isolated at the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Laboratory and a sample was sent to the United States Army...
.
2002: Related events
- January 4, 2002: Nicholas D. Kristof of The New York Times writes a column titled "Profile of a Killer" which begins with this sentence: "I think I know who sent out the anthrax last fall." The column includes quotes from Barbara Hatch Rosenberg. Seven months later, in July, Kristof will explain in another column that he and Dr. Rosenberg were referring to Dr. Steven Hatfill.
- January 29, 2002: The news breaks that the Ames strain is NOT a common strain from Iowa that is used by labs all over the world. According to The New York Times, "The geographic gaffe was the result of a clerical error by a scientific researcher." According to The Washington Post, "The bacteria was isolated by the Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostics Laboratory at Texas A&M University and shipped to USAMRIID in May 1981." The Ames strain was never in Iowa and will turn out to be a RARE strain, not a common strain. Instead of being useless to the investigation, it will become critical to the investigation.
- February 5, 2002: Barbara Hatch Rosenberg publishes "Is The FBI Dragging Its Feet?" on the Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
web site. She says, "The FBI has surely known for several months that the anthrax attack was an inside job."
- February 2002: Barbara Hatch Rosenberg writes, "Analysis of the Anthrax Attacks" and posts it on the Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
web site with later updates.
- February 22, 2002: FBI spokeswoman Tracey Silberling says, "It is not accurate that the FBI has identified a prime suspect in the case."
- February 25, 2002: "Federal law enforcement officials denied a newspaper report that the FBI had a identified a scientist who once worked in a U.S. government laboratory as a chief suspect."
- February 26, 2002: "There is no prime suspect in this case at this time," says Bill Carter, an FBI spokesman. The Washington Post declares, "FBI Still Lacks Identifiable Suspect in Anthrax Probe." ""FBI officials over the last week have flatly discounted Rosenberg's claims."
- April 15, 2002: U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID) microbiologist Bruce E. Ivins tests more than 50 samples from the men's change room, the area outside the passbox, and his own office, at Fort Detrick. All three locations test positive for Ames-strain anthrax, with heavy growth on the rubber molding surrounding the noncontainment side of a passbox. The passbox uses UV radiation to allow personnel to safely transfer materials from labs to outside areas such as hallways.
- April 16, 2002: Dr. Bruce E. Ivins notifies the USAMRIID Bacteriology Division chief of the preliminary results from his April 15 sampling. USAMRHD confirms the contamination April 16.
- April 18, 2002: Official testing finds anthrax spores in areas outside containment at Fort Detrick, including Dr. Bruce E. Ivins's office and near a passbox. A sample taken near the passbox tests positive for more than 200 spores of Ames-strain anthrax. The testing also reveals spores in a men's change room.
- May 9, 2002: A team of investigators led by Timothy Read at The Institute for Genomic ResearchThe Institute for Genomic ResearchThe Institute for Genomic Research was a non-profit genomics research institute founded in 1992 by Craig Venter in Rockville, Maryland, United States. It is now a part of the J. Craig Venter Institute.-History:...
publishes their findings on the DNA sequence of the anthrax spores used in the attacks. The report, which appears in the journal Science, finds that there are no differences between the attack strain and the original "Ames" anthrax strain from Ft. Detrick, Maryland.
- June 13, 2002: Barbara Hatch Rosenberg publishes "The Anthrax Case: What the FBI Knows" on the Federation of American ScientistsFederation of American ScientistsThe Federation of American Scientists is a nonpartisan, 501 organization intent on using science and scientific analysis to attempt make the world more secure. FAS was founded in 1945 by scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project to develop the first atomic bombs...
web site. She says, "Early in the investigation, a number of inside experts (at least five that I know about) gave the FBI the name of one specific person as the most likely suspect."
- June 18, 2002: Barbara Hatch Rosenberg meets with Senate staffers and FBI officials.
- June 25, 2002: The FBI conducts a consensual search of Steven HatfillSteven HatfillSteven Jay Hatfill is an American physician, virologist and bio-weapons expert who underwent what was considered by many to be a trial by media with great toll on his personal and professional life...
's home.
- July 2, 2002: New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof writes "Anthrax? The F.B.I. Yawns." Kristof talks about a "Mr. Z" (later identified as Steven Hatfill) in his column as being someone who the FBI has interviewed and who members of the biodefense community suggest may have been involved in the attacks.
- July 12, 2002: Columnist Nicholas Kristof writes "The Anthrax Files" suggesting his "Mr. Z" may have been part of several anthrax hoaxesAnthrax hoaxesAnthrax hoaxes involving the use of white powder or labels to falsely suggest the use of anthrax are frequently reported in the United States and globally. Hoaxes have increased following the 2001 anthrax attacks, after which no genuine anthrax attacks have occurred. The FBI and U.S...
in the past.
- August 11, 2002: Dr. Steven HatfillSteven HatfillSteven Jay Hatfill is an American physician, virologist and bio-weapons expert who underwent what was considered by many to be a trial by media with great toll on his personal and professional life...
holds an outdoor press conference in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, VirginiaAlexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
and declares his innocence and noninvolvement in the anthrax attacks.
- December 14, 2002: The U.S. Postal Service begins to decontaminate the BrentwoodBrentwood, Washington, D.C.Brentwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. and is named after the Brentwood Mansion built at Florida Avenue and 6th Street NE in 1817 by Robert Brent, the first mayor of Washington City. He built it as a wedding present for his daughter Eleanor on her marriage as second wife to...
mail facility 14 months after it was closed.
2003-2004: The investigation continues
- May 11, 2003: Ponds on the north side of Catoctin MountainCatoctin Mountain ParkCatoctin Mountain Park, located in north-central Maryland, is part of the forested Catoctin Mountain ridge that forms the eastern rampart of the Appalachian Mountains...
, near Gambrill Park Road and Tower Road in Frederick, MarylandFrederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
, are under investigation by the FBI, in connection with the 2001 anthrax attacks. Divers reportedly retrieved a "clear box" with holes that could accommodate protective biological safety gloves, as well as vials wrapped in plastic from a pond in the Frederick Municipal Forest. A new theory has been developed suggesting how a criminal could have packed anthrax spores into envelopeEnvelopeAn envelope is a common packaging item, usually made of thin flat material. It is designed to contain a flat object, such as a letter or card....
s without harming himself.
- June 9, 2003: The FBI begins to drain the Frederick, Maryland pond.
- June 28, 2003: The FBI finishes its investigation of the pond in Frederick, Maryland. Evidence found in the pond includes a bicycle, some logs, a street sign, coins, fishing lures and a handgun. The FBI takes soil samples from the bottom of the pond for testing. No anthrax is found.
- October 21, 2003: It is announced that decontamination of the Hamilton, NJHamilton Township, Mercer County, New JerseyHamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
post office should begin this week.
- December 22, 2003: The BrentwoodBrentwood, Washington, D.C.Brentwood is a neighborhood in Northeast Washington, D.C. and is named after the Brentwood Mansion built at Florida Avenue and 6th Street NE in 1817 by Robert Brent, the first mayor of Washington City. He built it as a wedding present for his daughter Eleanor on her marriage as second wife to...
post office reopens, 26 months after the anthrax attacks.
- July 11, 2004: Almost three years after the attack, decontamination begins on the former American Media headquarters building. The decontamination began with filling the building with chlorine dioxideChlorine dioxideChlorine dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula ClO2. This yellowish-green gas crystallizes as bright orange crystals at −59 °C. As one of several oxides of chlorine, it is a potent and useful oxidizing agent used in water treatment and in bleaching....
for 12 hours.
- November 9, 2004: Ivins's letter to the Fredrick News-Post: "First, it's clear that views like hers would put Jesus on that cross again. Second, thy loom and churn best be still, come the Sabbath. Third, you can get on board or get left behind, because that Christian Nation Express is pulling out of the station!"http://www.fredericknewspost.com/sections/news/display.htm?StoryID=78274
2005-2006
- March 14, 2005: The Hamilton, NJHamilton Township, Mercer County, New JerseyHamilton Township is a Township in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the township had a total population of 88,464...
post office reopens, 41 months after the anthrax attacks.
- August 24, 2006: Ivins's letter to the Fredrick News-Post: "Rabbi Morris Kosman is entirely correct in summarily rejecting the demands of the Frederick Imam for a 'dialogue.' By blood and faith, Jews are God's chosen, and have no need for "dialogue" with any gentile. End of 'dialogue'."
- September 25, 2006: Five years after the attacks unnamed officials and unnamed experts speaking to the BBC claimed that the anthrax was not 'military grade'. There was no specific mention or particular denial of the use of the Ames strain.
- October 23, 2006: Senator Charles Grassley of IowaIowaIowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
sends a six page letter to Attorney General Alberto GonzalesAlberto GonzalesAlberto R. Gonzales was the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Gonzales was appointed to the post in February 2005 by President George W. Bush. Gonzales was the first Hispanic Attorney General in U.S. history and the highest-ranking Hispanic government official ever...
requesting a briefing on the anthrax investigation.
2007-2008
- April 11, 2007: The FBI submits a request to put Dr. Ivins under periodic surveillance. "Bruce Edwards Ivins is an extremely sensitive suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks." (See FBI file #847444, page 67)
- September 4, 2007: Senator Patrick LeahyPatrick LeahyPatrick Joseph Leahy is the senior United States Senator from Vermont and member of the Democratic Party. He is the first and only elected Democratic United States Senator in Vermont's history. He is the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Leahy is the second most senior U.S. Senator,...
states in an interview with VermontVermontVermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
blog Vermont Daily Briefing that he is unsatisfied with the progress of the investigation and that he believes that some government officials may know more about the source of the anthrax than has been disclosed. "I think there are people within our government — certainly from the source of it — who know where it came from."
- March 19, 2008 - Dr. Ivins takes an overdose of Valium with alcohol in an apparent suicide attempt. He survives.
- March 28, 2008 - Fox News released details of an email exchange between scientists at Fort Detrick. According to Fox News, the scientists "openly discussed how the anthrax powder they were asked to analyze after the attacks was nearly identical to that made by one of their colleagues."
- May, 2008 - Dr. Bruce Ivins sends himself emails describing his two sessions before a grand jury, 3 hours on the first day, 2 hours on the next day. He describes it as a "dreadful experience" and says "The questions were very accusatory." He says they asked "Gotcha!" type questions. (See FBI file #847551, pages 19, 28, & 33)
- June 27, 2008 - The Department of Justice agrees to pay Dr. Steven Hatfill $5.8 million in damages and announces that he is no longer a "person of interest" in the anthrax case.
- Late July 2008 - The FBI informs Dr. Bruce E. Ivins that they are about to press charges against him in the anthrax case.
- July 27, 2008 - Dr. Ivins takes an overdose of acetaminophen; Ivins' wife finds him unconscious several hours later and calls the police.
- July 29, 2008 - Dr. Ivins dies at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Frederick, MarylandFrederick, MarylandFrederick is a city in north-central Maryland. It is the county seat of Frederick County, the largest county by area in the state of Maryland. Frederick is an outlying community of the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is part of a greater...
.
- August 3, 2008 - DNA evidence links the anthrax strain used by Ivins in his Fort Detrick laboratory to the strain used in the attacks.
- August 6, 2008 - The FBI concludes that Ivins was solely responsible for the attacks and suggested that Ivins wanted to bolster support for a vaccine he helped create and that he targeted two lawmakers because they were Catholics who held pro choice views.
- August 8, 2008 - Federal prosecutors exclude Steven HatfillSteven HatfillSteven Jay Hatfill is an American physician, virologist and bio-weapons expert who underwent what was considered by many to be a trial by media with great toll on his personal and professional life...
from suspicion of involvement in case.
2009
- May 7, 2009 - "The Federal Bureau of Investigation has agreed to pay $879,550 to the National Academy of Sciences for a 15-month review of its scientific work on the anthrax investigation."
- July 31, 2009 - The National Academy of Sciences' review of the FBI's scientific investigation in the Amerithrax case begins.
- September 24–35, 2009–Presentations by scientists to the National Academy of Sciences indicated, "it was clear the silicon in the spores occurred naturally and were not added to weaponize the bacteria."
2011
- February 15, 2011 - A group of independent scientists convened by the National Academies of Sciences has concluded that scientific evidence alone is not enough to prove that Bruce Ivins was the perpetrator of the anthrax attacks that killed five people in 2001